TheRamadan of Shaykh Al-Hadith Ml ZakariyyaKandelwi by Dr Muhammad Ismail Memon Madani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀ
In consideration of their need and due to lack of space, the
organizers announced repeatedly, “Those who are in i‘tikāf should
rest in their designated places, in the masjid or under the canopies.
If people not in i‘tikāf wish to rest, they may go to the vacant
dormitories of the school, the roof of the masjid, or on the mats
laid out for this purpose outside the masjid.” This rule brought
relief to the groups who recited nightly in voluntary śalāt and
others who stayed awake the whole night for recitation or other
worship. The people who performed worship the whole night
individually or collectively took up the whole courtyard of the
masjid.
Some prayed individually while others in congregation. Some
sat and recited, some cried and made du‘ā fervently, and some
were engrossed in dhikr and tasbīĥ. This continued until seĥr.
The workers who prepared and arranged the food never slept
throughout the night.
The Gathering of Advice
Ĥađrat did not attend this talk. One of his successors gave a talk for
30-40 minutes and ended it with a short du‘ā. In the beginning, it
was Muftī Maĥmūd Ĥasan who delivered simple, impromptu talks
that captured the essence of Islam. His every word was noteworthy
and full of wisdom.
Every day he discussed a new subject: following the Sunnas
of the Blessed Prophet s, adherence to the Shari‘a, Muslims do
not lie, the virtues of Ramadan, the blessings of fasting and śalāt,
punishment for ignorance towards the Dīn, having certainty in the
Hereafter, punishment of the grave, the virtues and place of i‘tikāf,
advising the hosts and guests etc. Generally, the talk was based on
such topics.
Everyone is aware of the beautiful qualities and immense
knowledge which Allah u blessed Muftī Śāĥib with, which clearly
manifested itself in these brief talks. Often he narrated incidents
which had a profound spiritual effect on the listeners. Unfortunately,
he became sick after a few days on the 6th of Ramadan 1400/1980.
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